Armed Forces
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the 2025 Strategic Defence Review, whether he delivered Recommendation 15 by June 2026.
Answered by Ministry of Defence
Recommendation 15 of the Strategic Defence Review, which addresses the barriers to a more representative and meritocratic workforce, was delivered both through Defence-wide system reform plans developed before the end of June 2026, as well as the Raising our Standards programme which tackles unacceptable behaviours and drives lasting cultural change.
Recommendation 15 also called for plans for independent oversight of implementation. These were delivered through the Raising our Standards programme, which is subject not only to robust governance through the Defence Board, Executive Committee, and Ministerial oversight, but independent scrutiny through the External Challenge and Defence Voices Panels.
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